Martin Leopold Widhalm (October 2, 1722 – June 10, 1776) was an Austrian or German

luthier A luthier ( ; ) is a craftsperson who builds or repairs string instruments. Etymology The word ' is originally French and comes from ''luth'', the French word for "lute". The term was originally used for makers of lutes, but it came to be ...

known for his work in

Nuremberg Nuremberg (, ; ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the Franconia#Towns and cities, largest city in Franconia, the List of cities in Bavaria by population, second-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Bav ...

. Charles Beare considers Widhalm to have been the most significant maker of violins in Germany during the 18th century not to be based in

Mittenwald Mittenwald () is a German municipality in the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, in Bavaria. Geography Mittenwald is located approximately 16 kilometres to the south-east of Garmisch-Partenkirchen. It is situated in the Valley of the river Isar, ...

, and praises the "sharpness and good taste" of his instruments. Charles Beare (2001). Widhalm, Leopold. ''

Grove Music Online ''The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' is an encyclopedic dictionary of music and musicians. Along with the German-language '' Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart'', it is one of the largest reference works on the history and t ...

'' Born in Horn, Austria, Widhalm worked on many old

Bologna Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the List of cities in Italy, seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its M ...

lutes that inspired his later work in his manufacture of

lute A lute ( or ) is any plucked string instrument with a neck (music), neck and a deep round back enclosing a hollow cavity, usually with a sound hole or opening in the body. It may be either fretted or unfretted. More specifically, the term "lu ...

violin The violin, sometimes referred to as a fiddle, is a wooden chordophone, and is the smallest, and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in regular use in the violin family. Smaller violin-type instruments exist, including the violino picc ...

s and violoncellos in

, Germany between 1746 and 1776. Widhalm moved permanently to Nuremberg in 1745 to work at the instrument-making shop of the late Sebastian Schelle (1676–1744) being run by his eldest daughter Barbara. Another source considers Widhalm to have been a student of Schelle.Klaus Wachsmann, James W. McKinnon, Robert Anderson, Ian Harwood, Diana Poulton, David van Edwards, Lynda Sayce, Tim Crawford (2001). Lute (Arab. ''‘ūd''; Fr. ''luth''; Ger. ''Laute''; It. ''lauto'', ''leuto'', ''liuto''; Sp. ''laúd'') ''

'' ) Widhalm and Barbara Schelle's working relationship became personal and resulted in marriage the following year. However, a prolonged legal battle ensued with Leonhard Maussiell (1685–1760), who objected to Widhalm taking over the business. When legal matters finally ended, Leopold and Barbara Widhalm created the largest and most successful

and

manufacturing operation in Nuremberg, noted for their outstanding quality. According to Beare, Widhalm was influenced by

Jacob Stainer Jacob Stainer (–1683) was the earliest and best known Austrian and Germanic luthier. His violins were sought after by famous 17th- and 18th-century musicians and composers including Johann Sebastian Bach, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and . Arcangelo ...

. Following his death in 1776 and her death in 1781, their sons Martin Leopold Widhalm (1747–1806) and Gallus Ignatius Widhalm (1752–1822) took over from him and a grandson, Johann Martin Leopold Widhalm (1799–1855) too became involved in the business.

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